TORBAY, NL—No enforcement action will be taken after a lone cow was witnessed tied up beside a house during a winter storm without shelter, water, and food. According to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC), the owner had been delayed getting home due to “circumstances beyond his control” and he “took measures to provide adequate shelter upon his return.” The RNC concluded that no laws had been broken.

Lawyer Anna Pippus, director of farmed animal advocacy for Animal Justice, said: “Newfoundland law protects animals from neglect. It’s troubling that the RNC is communicating to the public that it’s legal to keep animals tied up in extreme weather with no shelter, food, or water. It isn’t. Even cows habituated to the cold require appropriate shelter from wind, extreme cold, and snow or other precipitation, and must have access to appropriate food and water. Anyone with animals under their care is legally required to ensure minimum standards are met at all times, including during personal delays. The RNC’s assertion that ‘adequate shelter’ was ‘later’ provided belies the truth: the cow’s shelter that stormy afternoon was inadequate.”

According to Rescue NL’s Facebook page, three severely neglected horses were observed on this same farm last spring.

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The original Facebook post showing the cow in a blizzard can be found here.

On Thanksgiving, many Canadians give thanks for the wonderful things in our lives, including friends, family, and health.

But turkeys killed and eaten for Thanksgiving dinner have nothing to be thankful for. Raised in appalling conditions on Canada’s industrial turkey facilities and shipped to slaughter, their lives are bleak and filled with suffering.

Turkeys are curious, friendly, and sensitive birds with big personalities. But in Canada, 20 million turkeys are killed for food every year—many of them destined for Thanksgiving meals.

Undercover footage has exposed brutal conditions, abusive transport, and botched killing in the turkey industry. In one exposé of a Kitchener, Ontario turkey farm, workers were seen punching, throwing, and kicking birds, hitting them with metal rods and shovels, and crushing their spines.

And footage from a turkey slaughterhouse in Abbotsford, British Columbia shows painful, botched killings. Multiple turkeys are improperly stunned, thus fully conscious when their throats were slit with a metal blade. Many birds missed the blade, and were then dragged vats full of boiling water to remove their feathers. This killing process is standard in the turkey industry.

Earlier this year, Animal Justice filed a legal complaint with authorities after a witness documented bleeding and injured birds bring trucked to slaughter. Turkeys can be shipped in open-sided vehicles, exposed to blistering heat and frigid cold, for up to 36 hours—all without food, water, or rest. Canada’s weak transport laws are infrequently enforced.

Disturbingly, there are no federal regulations protecting turkeys and other farmed animals from horrific suffering while on farms. Please join Animal Justice in asking the federal government to regulate on-farm conditions for animals, and help spread compassion for turkeys by sharing this post!

Law professor Alain Roy and a group of law students from the Université de Montreal filed a lawsuit today, asking the Superior Court of Quebec to impose an injunction to stop the Nomadfest Urban Rodeo from taking place this summer.

Montreal has come under fire from animal lawyers, advocates, and veterinary experts for its plans to hold rodeo events this August as part of the city’s 375th anniversary celebrations. Rodeo events are incredibly cruel to animals, causing intense fear, suffering, pain, and risk of injury—all for the sake of cheap entertainment. Animals don’t perform willingly in rodeos; they are coerced into running, bucking, and other behaviours through fear, pain, and brutal training methods. The Montreal rodeo is expected to include bull riding, and bareback and saddle bronco riding.

The lawsuit argues that the event violates provisions of the Quebec Civil Code as well as the Animal Welfare and Safety Act. Amendments to Quebec’s Civil Code introduced in 2015 were groundbreaking, recognizing that animals aren’t just “things” but are “sentient beings”. Quebec law protects animals from pain, suffering, and extreme anxiety, and allows for large fines and even jail time for those convicted of harming animals under the legislation.

The rodeo is set to take place in the Old Port from August 24-27. Montreal has no historical or cultural connection to rodeo, and a petition by the Montreal SPCA agains the rodeo has already gathered over 22,000 signatures. Over 600 veterinarians and vet techs have also signalled their opposition to the Montreal rodeo.

Animal Justice applauds Professor Roy and his students for their work to use the law to shut down animal cruelty. Rodeo events have no place in a compassionate society!

Hi SCARS! My name is Jenny, my hubby Raf and I adopted Jill, now known as Ozzy, at the beginning of June. We wanted to send you a little pupdate on how she is doing. She’s an amazing little dog overall. She is learning lots of tricks. She has sit, shake a paw, and watch, Second Chance Animal Rescue Society